Stanley C. Johnson

“ STANDARDS, GUIDONS AND DRUM BANNERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY, DRAGOON GUARDS, AND CAVALRY OF THE LINE Among the grandest and most attractive flags which are flown in any part of the world, those of the British Cavalry must be assigned a high position, for, without being gaudy, they are beautiful, elaborate, gaily coloured and full of historic detail. ”

“ At the battle of Albuhera, in 1811, a colour of the 3rd Buffs was carried by Ensign Thomas. The French attacked in great force, and, surrounding Thomas, called upon him to give up the silken banner. Thomas’s answer was discourteous, but to the point; a moment later he lay dead, and the French bore away the flag with triumph. To the credit of the Buffs, we must add that the emblem was back in their possession before nightfall. These are just a few cases in which men have been ready, and even eager, to make the great sacrifice rather than lose their colours. ”

“ The American War of Independence, as the reader may justly suppose, marks another period in the history of military flags. In those days it was customary, though not the immutable rule, to carry these emblems into the line of battle, and as this period of fighting brought us many reverses the effect on the colours was often disastrous. Many were taken by the enemy, many more were worn to shreds, and a few were hidden and lost. It is forgotten by some of us that American raiders infested our shores and sank numbers of British vessels. The toll of ships led, at times, to the loss of colours. ”

“ The standard of cavalry, or the King’s colour of battalions of infantry, is not to be carried by any guard or trooped, except in the case of a guard mounted over the King, the Queen, and Queen Mother, or any member of the Royal Family, or over a Viceroy, and is only to be used at guard mounting, or other ceremonials, when a member of the Royal Family or a Viceroy is present, and on occasions when the National Anthem is appointed 4to be played; at all other times it is to remain with the regiment. ”

“ In their place, boldly and resolutely stands the regimental number, simple in form, easily recognised, easily remembered, forming a rallying point in the minds of soldiers, which, as decade after decade passed away, became indissolubly connected with some glorious deed, in its turn becoming a matter of history, adding lustre to the regimental number, and so, gradually, but surely, building up that wonderful esprit de corps which has stood the nation in good stead on so many occasions. ”

“ Cavalry flags are known as standards when they are square and guidons when swallow-tailed. The Household Cavalry and the Dragoon Guards possess standards and the Dragoons fly guidons. To the student of military emblems, it is somewhat disappointing to find that Hussars and Lancers have no flags with which to display their splendid traditions. In their case, we must be content to examine the cloths or banners hung around their drums. Before taking each regiment separately, it may be useful to state that a standard, without the red and gold fringe, measures 2 ft. ”

“ Fortunately, we have now reached an age when valuable lives can be no longer spent in defending military flags against the onslaughts of enemy rivals, for, to-day, there is a rule in our army regulations which forbids the taking of colours into the field of action. ”

“ The Yorkshire Dragoons and the Yorkshire Hussars must not be confused. The first has a blue cloth bearing the white rose and the title, “Queen’s Own,” whilst the second displays a deep scarlet, almost black, drum banner, with the white rose, the plume of the Prince of Wales, and the title “Princess of Wales’s Own.”
In our limited space it has only been possible to give the chief features of these drum banners—sufficient, however, to assist the reader in recognising the appointments. They are, we must add, of the utmost beauty, and equal in point of interest to those of the regular Cavalry. ”

“ The imperial crown also appears, and the whole is framed by a laurel and oak wreath. The red rose ensigned by a crown figures in the two lower corners. The City of London Rough Riders have an attractive purple banner bearing the City arms within a circle and a wreath. The 1st County of London, better known as the Duke of Cambridge’s Hussars, favours a green cloth, having, as central badge, a seven-pointed crowned star, within a wreath. The Duke’s cypher appears in the four corners, and the regimental motto, “Pro aris et focis,” is given on the star. ”

“ In those regiments which bear any ancient badge, the badge is to be on a red ground in the centre. The territorial designation, if practicable, to be inscribed on a circle within the union wreath of roses, thistles, and shamrocks, and the Royal or other title in an escroll underneath, the whole ensigned with the Imperial crown. ”

“ Before this time the military forces of England and Scotland went into battle with a full array of waving emblems, decorated with rampant lions, powdered leopards, spread eagles, and other gaudily-painted devices, but these were usually the symbols of the knights and patrons who raised the forces. ”

“ We have now followed the growth of the military colours of the British Army during the last two hundred and fifty years. In so long a period and where so many different units are concerned, each having peculiarities of its own, it is quite impossible to note every little change and variation which has occurred, but the reader may be assured that all the more important and interesting steps in the progress of these emblems of British pluck and patriotism have received due notice. ”

“ The first real military flags of which we have definite records were those used in the Civil Wars. The cavalry possessed standards revealing all manner of decorative symbols with mottoes telling of their leader’s faith in God, their hatred for the enemy, and the trust which they placed in Providence. The infantry forces bore colours devised with more regularity of purpose. Each colonel flew a plain white, red or other coloured flag; lieutenant-colonels were known by a flag bearing a small 7St. George’s Cross in the upper left-hand canton ”

“ The Royal Canadian Regiment is the only regular unit in the Canadian Forces. It was first raised in December, 1883, for the purpose of instructing the Canadian Militia, and was called the Infantry School Corps. Since then it has been known as the Royal Regiment of Canadian Infantry, then the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, and later by its present title. In 1894 H.M. Queen Victoria gave her Imperial Cypher V.R.I. as a badge. The Regiment was increased during the South African War by the raising of a 2nd and 3rd Battalion ”

“ They are crimson, and bear the Royal Arms, with two flying cherubs placed above. Gold embroidery enters largely into the decoration of these fine emblems. No battle honours are shown. The 1st Dragoon Guards carry a blue banner, richly embroidered, with the Royal Arms. The 2nd Dragoon Guards display their nickname, “Bays,” within a golden wreath, surmounted by an imperial crown, all on a cream-buff ground. The motto, “Pro Rege et Patria” (For King and Country) , is inscribed on a red scroll. The 3rd Dragoon Guards have selected a banner of the same colour as their facings, namely, yellow. ”

“ The Dragoons, as a rule, are the only section which carry flags—in all cases they are guidons—but it must be mentioned that some Dragoon regiments display no colours, whilst a certain few of the other divisions possess these emblems, though they may not have received official recognition. Most regiments own drum cloths, but some of those raised since the Boer War carry no drums and, in consequence, wear no drum cloths. In one or two instances, i.e., in the North Somerset Yeomanry, ornamental drums are provided which need no cloth embellishments. ”

“ The King’s colours are Union flags with central badges and the regimental colours depend for their hue upon the facings of the uniforms. The union wreaths, however, are not always of the strict standard pattern, though they vary but slightly; also, Arabic numerals are often used instead of Roman numerals to give the regimental number. In a few cases, a complete departure has been made from the regulation pattern in the case of certain regimental colours. ”

“ In piecing together the history of the early Army flags, a certain Nathan Brooks has given us much valuable assistance. He went to Putney Heath on October 1st, 1684, to see the King review the troops, and was wise enough to write down a description of the colours which figured in the function. Probably no better account of the flags of this period is still available. Here it is:— [1]
“The King’s Own Troop of Horse Guards and Troop of Grenadiers.—The standard, crimson with the royal cypher and crown; the guidon, differenced only from the standard by being rounded and slit at the ends. ”

“ The 19th Hussars have a white cloth, showing the letter A, interlaced with the Dannebrog, [9] below which is the White Elephant of Assaye, and around it a number of labels bearing battle honours, and the inscription, Queen Alexandra’s Own Royal Hussars. The 20th Hussars favour a crimson banner, which is embellished by a large golden wreath from which are growing roses, thistles and shamrocks. ”

“ The Derbyshire Yeomanry use the red and white rose as on the guidon, but it is worked in gold threads on a crimson cloth. The Royal 1st Devon and the Royal North Devon both bear the Royal Cypher, ensigned with the imperial crown on a crimson groundwork. The former, however, has gold 51fringe, but the latter, silver-white and blue. The Dorsets display the same royal emblems within a silver laurel wreath, also on crimson. The Hampshires have an elaborate blue cloth, with wide gold fringe, on which appears carbines in saltire, the imperial crown, the red and white rose and a union wreath. ”

“ The same writer from whom we just quoted describes the changes which the standard of the Coldstream Guards underwent during a period of some sixteen years. “When originally made, ... the central garter star (i.e., the regimental badge) and the wreath richly embroidered in gold bullion, but without the shamrock, and possibly the crown, were all that appeared on the plain crimson silk ground. The union with Ireland, 1801, necessitated the introduction of the shamrocks ... they have been squeezed into places when scarcely room could be found for them. ”

“ The battle honours are: Vimiera; Corunna; Almaraz; Vittoria; Pyrenees; Nive; Orthes; Peninsula; Punniar; Moodkee; Ferozeshah; Aliwal; Sobraon; Alma; Inkerman; Sevastopol; Lucknow; New Zealand; Egypt, 1882; Nile, 1884–85; South Africa, 1900–02.
Before 1881, the facings of the regiment were black, but when, in this year, the force attained a royal dignity, they became blue. New colours to suit the change of hue were accordingly provided, and the old ones burned with solemn reverence, the ashes being collected and placed in a snuff box made from the wood of the flag pole. ”

“ The cloth is crimson. Of the same colour is the drum banner of the 15th Hussars. This regiment displays the royal crest, the King’s cypher, the figures XV., the battle honours, and a golden wreath of laurel and oak. A royal blue cloth is carried by the 16th Lancers; it bears the crossed lances, which figure on all Lancer drum cloths, except those of the 17th Lancers. In this case, the well-known device of a skull and crossbones is placed within a garter, surmounted by a crown and enwreathed with a band of oak and laurel leaves. ”

“ This decision, which did not apply to the Foot Guards, as they have always been a law unto themselves, was lamented by many people, as it robbed these colours of much of their splendour. Milne thinks that the edict was issued because battle honours were fast growing in number, and if many of these were sewn on to a jack which was already a combination of seams and stitches the results would be disastrous in partly worn specimens. ”

“ This, he intimated, was the standard pattern, and each commanding officer was requested to fill in the details which were particular to his own flags and return them for purposes of filing. The designs which came back to Mr. Naylor clearly pointed to the lack of uniformity which had sprung up in the preparation of colours. Many flags had been worked by ladies of title who were patrons of the local unit, the daughters of the commanding officers, and other such people, whose qualifications to embroider were greater than their understanding of heraldry. ”

“ Civilians are frequently puzzled to identify ribbons and medals of even recent origin, and how few have any knowledge of the hundreds of awards for service and gallantry, modern and historical, which exist in connection with the two Services. By means of Mr. Johnson’s compact volume they can learn all that a reasonably well-informed reader need know about these matters.... Most people will be glad to possess the volume, and for older boys it will prove an excellent gift book.”—The Bookman.
“Altogether an invaluable vade mecum on medals.”—The Regiment. ”